These Sisters Created a Wrap that Helps Moms and Babies Get Skin-to-Skin After C-Sections
Skin-to-skin contact is one of the best ways a new parent can bond with their baby. It’s especially important with newborns, where skin-to-skin gives babies health benefits like improved sleep, lower stress levels, and stable blood sugar. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend one hour of skin-to-skin immediately after birth. Unfortunately, it’s very hard for c-section moms to do this since they’re on an operating table. Two sisters have teamed up to change this with a product they created specifically so mom and baby can get skin-to-skin after c-sections.
It’s called the Joeyband, and it functions like a wrap to keep a baby safely and securely attached to their mama (or another parent). The wrap stretches in four ways, keeping baby nice and snug. The best part? It’s hands-free, which is crucial for c-section moms who might not be able to move their arms because of IVs.
The sisters behind the Joeyband, Hayley Mullins and Ashley Wade, were inspired to create the wrap after Mullins accidentally dropped her newborn.
”Two weeks after she was born, she was asleep on my chest, when I took my hands off of her,” Mullins told Babble. ”In a split second, she startled and fell to the floor. I tried wraps, carriers, slings and babywearing shirts, but just wanted something that would simply belt my sleeping baby to me.”
Skin-to-skin after c-sections is now easier.
Mullins and Wade say that the Joeyband is also excellent for NICU babies, who greatly benefit from skin-to-skin contact with their parents.
About 100 hospitals worldwide are using Joeybands. Says Mullins, ”The importance of skin-to-skin in the OR, coupled with the new attention to infant falls, has hospitals in search of a solution.”
If your hospital doesn’t offer Joeybands, they can be purchased on the company’s site. The sisters say that if you know you’re going to have a c-section, talk to your doctor ahead of time about using the wrap so it can be part of the O.R. prep.
(Image: Joeyband)
